Mixed Emotions
by DisneyStar4Ever
Summary: CJ has finally come back to the park after her holiday overseas and her and Mordecai recollect old times. When CJ begins to work at the park, Benson assigns her to Thomas. As the days roll by and CJ begins to spend more time with him, a closer bond begins to form and soon, romance blossoms. CJ/Thomas, Mordecai/Margaret. ON HIATUS
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

CJ's ears popped as soon as her plane hit the ground. Taking the earplugs out with a smile, she looked out the window at the American airport. Home sweet home. She stood, grabbed her bags, then waited in the long line of people busting to get out the plane. It had taken her 12 hours to get from New Zealand to here. And she was exhausted, the dark circles around her eyes showing it. Longing to visit New Zealand had been her dream since she was younger, and she had finally done it. Sighing, she took a step as the line inched forward. Ferns and trees had brushed her skin wherever she went, cows and sleeps dotted in every paddock she saw. It had been a wonderful, beautiful trip with a tiring plane ride. Finally, after ages of waiting, she finally got out of the plane, through customs, then out the door. Beautiful sunshine shone on her face, causing her to raise a hand to block it. As her eyes adjusted to the light, she saw Mordecai standing next to a car, waving to her. She smiled and, dragging her suitcase behind her, walked up to the blue jay. They embraced in a hug.

"Hey CJ"

"Hey Mordecai, hows it goin?"

"Good, good. Hey want me to grab your case?" He bent down to pick it up.

She began to walk to the passengers seat. "Sure, thanks dude"

He dumped it in the boot, shut it, then went round to his side.

* * *

As they were driving back to the park, CJ told Mordecai everything, using hand gestures to exaggerate it more. He laughed and smiled along with her, especially the part about the sheep poo.

..."And when I went to the meeting, I ended up covering the floors with sheep doo doo"

Mordecai laughed with her just as they drove through the gates of the park.

"Is this where you work?" She asked, looking around.

He smiled sheepishly. "Uh, yeah, kinda a dump but you gotta take what you get, you know?"

She nodded, smiling. "Yeah, I know what you mean. Man, when I was 15, I had this really crappy job at the bookstore where-"

Her voice cut off when she was suddenly interrupted with a shrieking. Getting out of the car, she saw a big-headed lollipop man bound down the stairs with a joyous smile.

"Hey" She took a few steps forward, waving to the man.

He stepped off the last step. "How nice to meet you" He shook her hand, something she did not expect, "I'm Pops"

"Nice to meet you Pops" She said awkwardly. This man was too happy for her comfort.

Followed by Pops was a short gumball machine with a small smile. He was clearly faking it, but she decided to go along with it. Thinking 'shaking hands' was a polite way to say hello, she put out her hand as the gumball machine approached. "Hey, I'm CJ"

"Benson. It's nice to finally meet you"

"You too." She put her hands on her hips as she looked up to see a green zombie guy and a ghost come down the stairs. Both wore sneaky grins on their lips, aimed at CJ, she realized.

Holding back a disgusted face, she held out her hand, which the green guy took roughly."I'm Muscle Man, and this is Fives" He pointed to the ghost next to him, who waved at her.

She felt really uncomfortable there. "Hey, Muscle Man and Fives. It's nice to meet you"

When she had let go of his hand, she saw Muscle Man glance at Fives, still with the same creepy grins on their faces. "You know who else likes to say 'nice to meet you'?"

"Who?" She asked curiously, unaware of the annoyed expressions everyone was making.

"MY MOM!" Muscle Man shouted, highfiving the ghost next to him. They both ran off before CJ could say anything else. Looking back to the stairs, she saw a large white yeti skip down the stairs.

He smiled grimly. "Skips"

"CJ" She replied, smiling. "Hey, why did you skip down the stairs?"

His eyes narrowed. "You don't want to know." He said darkly, the smile vanishing. She let go of his hand immediately as Mordecai walked up to her, carrying her case.

He dropped it on the ground with a sigh. "That was heavy. What did you bring back? A Pohutukawa tree?" He said with a smile. She chuckled at the joke, glad to be around someone she knew.

"Hey Muscle Man, my credit card decline for the pizzas. Can I use yours?" He stopped short when he saw the cloud girl. Smiling, he held out his hand. "Thomas. I'm an intern here"

"Awesome. I'm CJ"

He nodded then moved to go. "Sorry, but I gotta go find Muscle Man before the pizzas cancel. It was nice meeting you CJ" He smiled at her then ran off to the forest.

She looked back at Mordecai. He was looking up the stairs with an angered expression. "Rigby. Get out here." He called up the stairs.

"Why?" CJ heard a whiny tone from the house, mixed with video game music.

"Cause CJs back from her holiday"

She heard the music suddenly stop then watched a raccoon bound on all fours towards her. He straightened when he got to the last step. "Hey, I'm Rigby. Mordecai's told me so much about you"

Casting a sideways glance at the blue jay, CJ raised an amused, suspicious eyebrow, as she shook the raccoons hand. "Has he now?"

"Yeah. Every day, noon, and ni-" He was silenced with something clamped over his mouth. A wing.

"Maybe we should get inside the house, so I can show you the tour?" Mordecai suggested, his wing still over the raccoons mouth.

CJ giggled. "Sure" She shrugged. "Then maybe we can go to the arcade later?"

"Yeah, that's a great idea. Definitely" He watched her follow everyone in the house, leaving him, Rigby, and her suitcase outside. When he saw no sign of her, he took his wing away.

"Dude, your hands smell like flowers." Rigby pulled a face then coughed over dramatically.

Mordecai sighed. "Whatever dude. Just don't do that"

"Do what? This..." He cupped his hands around his mouth, making a loudspeaker, then turned to the stairs. "HEY CJ, MORDECAI LOVES-" He was silenced with Mordecais wing covering his mouth.

He watched the blue jay with beady eyes then laughed as Mordecai snatched his hand away."Aw sick! You licked my hand dude!" He wiped his wing on his feathers.

Rigby fell on the ground in laughter, as Mordecai walked over to pick up CJ's case. Turning to face Rigby, he saw the raccoon had jumped up and was at the top of the stairs, smirking. "Hey Mordecai, having fun carrying CJ's suitcase?"

He frowned, walking up the stairs. "Shut up Rigby"

"You know your hands are going to smell like flowers" The raccoon continued.

He glared at his friend, but didn't respond.

"Mixed with my spit"

He felt ready to drop the case, but reminded himself it was CJs, giving the only threat he could give his friend; A scowl. Rigby smirked at his friends attempts then, seeing the blue jay could do nothing, bounded inside to finish his video game.

* * *

..."And this is mine and Rigbys room" Mordecai walked into the room, smiling as CJ looked around.

"Cool room." She spotted the trampoline and smirked. "Why's there a trampoline there?"

He walked over. "That's Rigbys bed"

She chuckled. "He sleeps on a trampoline?"

"Yeah."

"Why?"

He shrugged. "Cause I took his mattress"

CJ glanced at him but didn't comment, instead smiling and looking at his closet. Spotting a 'Mordecai and the Rigbys' tshirt, she walked over and picked it out. Turning around, she held it up to herself. "Why does this shirt have your guys names on it?"

He smiled and walked over to her. "We were in a band"

She lowered the shirt. "You were in a band?" Her eyes widened. "How did..." Her voice trailed off as she looked back down at the shirt.

He chuckled. "We just ordered some shirts from the Internet then BAM! we're in a band"

"It's that easy?" She looked up, eyebrow raised skeptically.

He shook his head. "That's basically the short story of it."

She giggled and dropped the shirt. Grabbing his arm, she ran for the door.

"Come on, let's go to the arcade."

**Read and Review :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**Thank you bg52598 for the inspiration for this chapter :)**

"Alright." Benson said. "Because it's Mr Maellards birthday in a few days, we've got a lot to do." He flipped through his clipboard and turned to the page with the list of jobs on them.

With each job read out, he glanced up at the worker. "Skips, you'll get decorations, Muscle Man and Fives you'll attend to catering, Pops you'll get balloons..."

He stopped and looked up fully, his eyes on the cloud girl. "Now, I know it's your first day here CJ, but I'll still give you a job." He saw the panicked expression on her face, so quickly added. "But I'll have someone supervise you"

CJ looked up at Mordecai, a hopeful grin on her face.

"Thomas, you'll go with CJ to pick up the cake"

CJ and Mordecais smiles dropped as CJ turned back to her now-boss. She didn't utter a word and she could feel Bensons eyes on her when she began to look for Thomas.

_Thomas _She spotted the goat instantly, sitting with his back to her, his hands on his lap.

"Great" He said to Benson.

Benson looked back at his clipboard now that CJ had found the goat.

"Mordecai and Rigby, you'll get Mr Maellard a present"

"Aw what?!" The two said in unison, their hands thrown up.

Benson frowned. "It's the only job I have left for you two"

"Why can't _you_ get him a present?" Rigby asked.

Benson ingored the question. "Ok guys, get to work"

At their cue, the park workers got off the steps and went to their assigned jobs. Soon, only Mordecai, Rigby, CJ and Thomas were on the steps.

"Man this sucks." Rigby finally spoke up. "Why the heck can't Benson get Maellard a present? He knows him better than we do!"

"How would Benson know more about Mr Maellard?" Mordecai asked in confusion.

Rigby opened his mouth then closed it. He was stumped. But he wasn't willing to end a conversation that left him feel like an idiot. "I just figured that you know since they're bosses that they have a boss thing...you know?"

"A boss thing?" Mordecai raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, like we have a bro bro thing"

"I don't think there's such a thing as a "boss boss thing"

Rigby frowned. Looks like the convo was almost close to ending. "Isn't there? I mean, they could talk to eachother"

"Dude, I'm pretty sure Maellard hates Benson and when they talk to eachother, it's usually just Maellard screaming at Benson about his job."

Rigby squinted his eyes. "Wait, what was the question again?"

Mordecai sighed irritably and looked at CJ who was looking around. Her eyes landed on Mordecai and when she saw he was already looking at her, she smiled.

"So you guys have to get the cake huh?" Mordecai asked, gesturing to Thomas.

"Yeah"

Thomas turned his head. "What kind of cake should we get?"

"I'm guessing chocolate. I mean, who doesn't like chocolate cake right?"

Thomas laughed, surprising CJ. She stood up. "Come on, let's go to the cake shop" She walked off.

"Do you know where it is?" Thomas asked, standing up and walking in step beside her.

"No." She shook her head. "But that's why Benson assigned you with me. To help me find the cake shop."

Thomas laughed again. "It's only a few blocks down. We don't need a cart"

Mordecai and Rigby waited till they were out of sight before Mordecai turned his head to Rigby. The raccoon was smiling at Mordecai, a creepy, knowing smile.

"What?" Mordcai asked

Rigby shook his head, the smile disappearing from his face, "Doesn't matter"

Mordecai looked at him one last time before turning back, "Come on," he stood up and walked off the step, "Lets go get Mr Maellard a present"

Rigby smiled and bounded off the steps to follow Mordecai, "Oh yeah! That was the question!"

* * *

CJ and Thomas had already walked out the park gates and were on the sidewalk. CJ was telling Thomas about her trip, and was using hand gestures to deacribe the sheep story she had told Mordecai.

When she said the last line she had said to Mordecai, Thomas burst out laughing.

"Aw sick!" He said.

CJ chuckled. "Yeah, it was sick. I just ran out the building and never went back there again"

Thomas smiled. "How does that even happen?"

"I don't know." CJ shrugged. "I guess someone just didn't want me at that meeting"

The conversation died down after that, but they didn't mind the silence. Soon they approached the cake shop.

"Closed?" Thomas said aloud, reading the sign on the shop door. The word _closed_ was written in big red block letters.

CJ stood behind him, then straightened, her arms crossed. "Are there any more cake shops here?"

Thomas shook his head. "No"

CJ sighed then glanced up. When she saw the giant coffee cup up ahead, she smiled. "Coffee shops sell cakes right?" She said, looking back at Thomas.

"I...guess" He said slowly, unsure of what CJ was saying.

She stepped forward and turned him around so he was looking at the coffee shop. He smiled. "Nice finding CJ" She let go of his shoulders and followed him to the coffee shop.

Both of them looked around. There weren't many customers like there would normally be, and behind the counter was a tall red robin and a short mole with glasses.

CJ gasped when she saw the robin. "I remember her"

Thomas looked at her. "Who?"

"The robin"

"You mean Margaret?"

"That's her name?" CJ asked then remembering what she was talking about, she shook her head. "Yeah, Margaret"

"What about her?"

CJ explained the entire story to him. His eyes widened with shock when she had finished.

"Wow"

CJ bit her lip. "Yeah"

"So you and Margaret basically hate each other...over Mordecai?"

CJ blushed as if it was her mother who had asked the question, but she nodded. "Yeah." She repeated, not daring to look Thomas in the eyes.

Thomas glanced at Margaret. "Ok, if you don't want to see Margaret, how about we ask that short mole girl if they have any cakes here"

"Ok" CJ smiled weakly, not sure of what Margaret's reaction would be to see her after all this time. Thomas didn't notice her nervous state and walked down the stairs, CJ following.

Margaret had seen Thomas and was waving. "Hey...Thomas right?"

Thomas approached the counter, the plan of asking Eileen about cake flying over his head. CJ stayed behind him, trying to make her body shape like Thomas' so she could hide. "Yeah"

"It's so good to see you"

"You too" Thomas smiled.

"So what's it like working at the park?"

"It's ok." He shrugged. "I mean, I don't get paid but the guys there are pretty cool, except for Muscle Man"

She cringed at the mention of the green man. "Yeah, he's so creepy. One time, Eileen and I..." She gestured to the short mole girl, who waved awkwardly to Thomas. She looked back up and was about to continue until she saw a wisp of cloud on Thomas' shoulder. "Who's your friend Thomas?" She asked sweetly.

CJ stepped out behind Thomas before the goat could answer for her. Margaret's eyes widened. Never in a million years had she thought she would ever see CJ again.

"Oh...hi CJ" Margaret said awkwardly.

CJ raised a hand in a wave.

Thomas glanced from CJ to Margaret then turned back to the robin. "You were saying?" He asked, breaking the awkward silence.

Margaret held CJs gaze for a few more seconds till CJ looked away. "Oh yeah...Eileen and I went on a double date with Mordecai and Rigby..."

CJ sighed._ At least she didn't lash out at me _She thought. She moved away from the two to talk to the short mole girl.

Eileen smiled up at CJ. "Cool name"

"Huh? Oh, thanks. My names actually Cloudy Jay. CJ's just a nickname."

"Eileen" Eileen gestured to herself, a notepad and pen in her hand. At the sight of them, CJ instantly remembered why her and Thomas had come here in the first place and cleared her throat. She smiled.

"Do you guys sell cakes here?"

"Yeah"

"Can I please have one chocolate cake?"

Eileen jotted it down on her notepad. "Be right back" She turned and walked to the back. When she was out of sight, CJ stole a glance at Thomas and Margaret. They were still chatting like old friends. _I wonder if Margaret still likes Mordecai_ CJ shook her head. _Why am I thinking that? That fight was years ago. Even if she does, it doesn't matter._

She felt a container being pushed against her arm and looked down. A chocolate cake slathered with chocolate icing was sitting on a black plastic round disk with a clear plastic lid on top, covering the cake. Eileen was standing behind the counter. "Here's the cake you ordered"

"Thanks" CJ replied, moving to pick up the cake. "How much?" She stuck her hand in her pocket, ready to pull out the sum of money the cake was.

"$2.99"

CJ closed her hands around $3 and pulled it out. She smacked the money on the counter, glancing at Margaret and Thomas again. They were still talking and somehow, this irritated CJ, but she shrugged it off when she looked back at Eileen.

Eileen smiled. "What's the occasion?" She moved her hand to the cake.

"It's Mr Maellards birthday tomorrow"

"Who?"

"My boss' boss"

"Oh." Eileen took of her glasses, wiped them, then put them back on. Just for something to do.

CJ bit her lip. "Why don't you come?"

Eileen's eyes widened. "What? Us?"

Margaret smiled at Thomas, who was telling her about his life before he came to the park. She nodded, but her mind was on Eileen and CJ. She narrowed her eyes when she heard CJ mention them coming to the park party. Before CJ could answer, she sidled up to the two, not bothering to excuse herself from talking to Thomas, leaving Thomas to watch Margaret talk to the two.

"I'm sorry CJ but Eileen and I can't come" She said with the same sweetness in her tone. "Our boss is quite strict with this kind of stuff and Eileen and I have already taken our limited amount of days off this year.

CJ was taken aback at Margaret's interruption but smiled nonetheless. She knew it was because of the hatred between them through Mordecai, but she pushed this aside. "Oh, that's alright. I just assumed that because Mordecai's going to be there..." She said this with a wave of her hand.

She left her sentence unfinished, watching Margaret's face for some sort of reaction. Margarets gaze moved behind CJs shoulder and she smiled. "Sorry CJ, gotta go serve a customer" She made no hesitation in lifting the plank of wood up and walking up to the customer, who was sitting with his wife, both of them sipping coffees. CJ didn't bother to look back, focusing her attention back on the cake and, as if she had never talked to Margaret at all, she smiled at the small mole girl.

"Sorry Eileen, but Thomas and I gotta get back to the park. Wouldn't want Benson yelling at us" She picked up the cake but the plastic disc underneath it slipped from her fingers and in one quick move, Thomas bent down and with one hand, he held the disk up against the bottom of the cake. With the other, he held the lid down, his palm flat on the top of the cake lid. He watched the cake for a few seconds more until his heart slowed to its normal rate, then he slowly bought his gaze up to CJ, who was staring at him in surprise, her mouth agape. Thomas smile sheepishly. "Here's the cake"

CJ blinked then shook her head. "Oh, yeah...haha thanks" She reached her arms out and gently took the cake from Thomas' hands. When the cake was passed between them, their hands brushed. Only lightly, but both of them felt the touch. Both of their cheeks tinted red and CJ, aware of this, snatched the cake from Thomas' hands. Her heart raced and she turned away from him to Eileen.

"So are you?"

"Am I...?" Eileen asked, her eyebrow raised in confusion. Confusion at how quickly the moment between her and Thomas had switched and confusion at what CJ was talking about.

"Going to the party?"

Eileen glanced at Margaret, who was standing in front of the man, her notepad held out while she wrote down his order.

"But Margaret said-"

"Don't worry about her." CJ said with another wave of her hand. "She's just mad at me because of Mordecai"

Eileen glanced at Margaret again then, sure she wasn't looking in their direction, smiled at CJ.

"Ok, I'll be there"

"Great. It's tomorrow night. I'll ask my boss what time the party is when I get back, then I'll text you. Good?"

Eileen smiled wide. "Yeah."

CJ waved her hand as a goodbye then, with Eileen waving back, exited the coffee shop, Thomas walking behind her. The door shut behind them and when Margaret heard the familiar tinkle of the bell, she looked up at the door and glared at it, her eyes narrowed. She watched CJ walk away from the coffee shop till she was out of sight before bringing her gaze back to the notepad to take the woman's order.

**Sorry if Margaret's a bit OOC**

**Chapters will be irregular due to school**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

CJ and Thomas walked through the park gates, CJ holding the cake. Since the incident at the coffee shop, neither had said a word to each other, so the walk back to the park was in awkward silence.

When CJ saw Mordecai and Rigby raking the leaves, she smiled and approached Mordecai. Thomas followed, having nothing else to do.

"Hey Mordecai."

Mordecai looked up and smiled. "Hey CJ." He saw the cake. "How'd it go at the cake shop?"

"The cake shop wasn't open."

"How'd you get the cake?" Mordecai asked, confused.

"We went to the coffee shop." She answered simply

Mordecais eyes widened. "The coffee shop?"

CJ saw his expression and laughed. "Don't worry. I didn't trash the place like last time."

Mordecai smiled, relieved. "How'd it go with having Thomas supervise you with getting a cake?" He asked, noticing the goat standing behind CJ.

She shrugged. "It was ok. Nothing happened." But Mordecai noticed the tint of red rising on her cheeks. He didn't mention it though, incase it was private and CJ slapped him for saying something.

"When we saw the cake shop was closed, we thought we had to go back to the park with no cake. But CJ found the coffee shop."

Mordecai glanced at Thomas then at CJ. He couldn't understand why Thomas would mention that, or say it in that kind of tone as if she had saved him and herself from a burning lava pit. But he shrugged it off and again, decided not to say anything about it.

"You might want to get that cake to Benson." Mordecai said, trying to change the subject. Having Thomas talk like that made him uncomfortable. "I think he has a few chores for you to do."

"Ok." CJ said, smiling. She waved goodbye to Mordecai and Rigby, who hadn't looked up or said anything since her and Thomas got back, then turned and headed to the park house, Thomas following. She didn't tell Mordecai about inviting Eileen to the party. She figured she'd tell him later, since this wasn't the right time.

"Oh, there you two are." Benson said when they had walked through the door. He was busy ticking off each persons job for Mr Maellard then assigning them a usual job around the park. Thomas stood beside Benson. "Just put the cake in the fridge, then come back here."

CJ smiled and headed to the kitchen. She opened the fridge and saw it was already filled with cans of soda. Glancing from shelf to shelf, she found a spot and pushed the cake next to the soda. She closed the fridge then walked back to Benson.

"Now, again, I'm going to have Thomas supervise you CJ, since you haven't done any proper work around the park." He said, looking down at his clipboard.

CJ inwardly sighed. The incident at the coffee shop came to mind and she tried to will it away, all the while avoiding Thomas' gaze, as Benson went on.

"I would assign you to work with Mordecai." He admitted, looking up at her. "But because him and Rigby have already got a job, and Thomas went with you to get the cake, then it only seems fair to have Thomas with you again." He looked back down at his clipboard and used his pencil to jab at each job. "Lets see...washing the cart." He muttered. "Cleaning the gutters...the bathrooms are spotless...ah"_  
_

He looked up with a slight smile. "The attic needs cleaning." He said. "Dusters are already up there." He glanced from CJ to Thomas for a reply.

"Great." CJ started, smiling as well. "We'll get right on it."

Benson nodded then walked to the door. CJ waited to hear the door shut before letting out a deep breath and walking upstairs to the attic door, Thomas following.

* * *

CJ moved around the dark attic, humming so Thomas didn't bump into her, though the dust could be easily seen in huge clouds. Spiders webs tangled in her hair but she didn't say a word, just kept humming as she brushed away another patch of dust.

She couldn't hear Thomas; not that she was surprised. The goat hadn't said a word since telling Mordecai of her greatest achievement: finding the coffee shop. The way he said it bit into CJs mind and she closed her eyes for a moment. It was like she had done something that deserved to be in the news, not finding another shop to get a cake. She opened her eyes and as soon as she did, her eyes caught a large spiderweb, which, with a quick flick of her wrist, she swiped away.

"Hey CJ?"

CJ didn't jump; even though Thomas hadn't said anything, she expected him to speak eventually.

"Yeah?" She asked, crawling across the wood to try to find another patch of dust. CJ saw some dust swirl before being extinsguished by the air. Thomas.

"Why'd you invite Eileen to the party? Why not Margaret as well?"

She didn't expect him to bring this up. "What? Why?" She asked, a hint of irritation in her tone. Because of the short explanation she had given to Thomas, she had thought he would accept what had happened and try to prevent himself from even going near Margaret, just so CJ could make sure Thomas understood her. Obviously, there was no going back to the chat Margaret and Thomas had back at the coffe shop, but there was a chance to keep this topic going.

"Well..." He paused, trying to find the right words as to not upset her. "Margaret seems like a cool girl and I think the only reason I see the friction caused between you is because of a boy. Mordecai to be exact."

CJ winced. She knew it was stupid, but what she had felt a few years back with Mordecai felt like a connection and when he had said no, she couldn't take it and her anger let out in the coffee shop, where a hurricane took place. She sighed.

"Listen Thomas..." She paused as well. This was the first time she had said his name and it felt strange, rolling off her tongue. "You're right and you're wrong. It WAS about Mordecai, but now its just what happened at the coffee shop when I saw Mordecai ask Margaret to the movies..." She cringed as the memory came back, hurting her with the feeling that had hit her all those years ago. "That's keeping us from being friends."

"So now it's just jealousy thats stopping you from making amends?"

CJ was growing tired already and they had just started with this topic. If the goat kept asking questions, they'd be up here all night. "Basically." She answered, not bothering to elaborate on a question that could be explained more if the person wanted to.

Thomas didn't reply and CJ stayed still, waiting incase he did. When she saw another dust cloud emerge from the darkness, she sighed and went back to brushing a spiders web from the roof of the attic.

* * *

Mordecai, Rigby and CJ were all sitting on the couch (Mordecai and Rigby sat next to each other, whereas CJ sat next to Rigby, smiling), playing video games. Well, Mordecai and Rigby were. CJ said, just as Rigby had switched the game on, that she'd verse the winner. Because she hadn't seen Rigby play, she didn't know if he would win or not against Mordecai, but after asking the question to the blue jay and getting a smirk and an answer about "this being no contest", CJ smiled back and knew in her right mind, Mordecai would win.

It had been hours since her and Thomas had cleaned the attic and when they came back downstairs, both couldn't help but laugh at each other. They were covered head to foot in dust, spiderwebs tangling in both their hair. She wondered if Thomas had felt the feeling she had felt at the coffee shop with the cake incident, but she didn't worry about it too much. Of course, they both got themselves cleaned up and laughed about it when they passed each other in the hall or outside on the field. When Thomas went home, CJ smiled, happy at the chance to finally spend time with Mordecai, something she hadn't done since she had arrived, though she thanked him for helping her with the two jobs she had been given. It was just a polite thank you, the right thing to do, she felt, bit still, the familiar blush arose on her cheeks, and she knew if she stayed, it would creep from her face to her entire body.

So she waved him off and waited till he had driven out the park gates before sighing and going back to the house.

"OOOOH!" Mordecai yelled, fist pumping the air.

Rigby sat in the couch, his arms crossed. "Whatever. You're only happy you won because you wanted CJ to sit next to you."

Mordecai frowned and turned back. "No, I'm happy because one I beat you and two I get to see if CJ still has her video game skills."

CJ smirked. "Lets see shall we?" She replied, taking the controller from Rigbys paws and settling them in her own hands.

It only took a few minutes for the game to finish and Mordecai was left surprised, but impressed. CJ did her own OOOH to which Mordecai just laughed at and Rigby joined in.

"Well Miss Jay. Looks like you still have your skills at video games."

CJ smiled at the mention of her last name. "Why thank you Mr..."

"Quintel." He said, smiling.

She giggled. "Mr Quintel." She finished.

* * *

CJ lay in the dark, thinking. Mordecai and Rigby had set up a bed in their room, between both of them. Since there was no where else to stay, CJ accepted the accomodation, happy she could at least be around someone she knew. It had been a tiring day for the cloud girl and all she wanted to do was collapse on her bed and sleep.

But now, at 10pm, she found herself lying awake, her eyes adjusting to the dark. She kept her eyes on the ceiling, resting her hands on the blanket.

She listened to Mordecai and Rigbys breathing to try to lull her to sleep, but after waiting a few minutes, she gave up and turned her head so she was looking at Mordecai. She felt herself smile and a warm comforting feeling spread throughout her. Mordecai had his mouth closed, breathing through his nose and an automatic expression was on his face, making him look angry, furious even. It made her laugh. She quickly covered her mouth and paused, waiting for footsteps or a shift from either Mordecai or Rigby, but when silence took over the room again, she took her hands away from her mouth and lay them on the blanket again. She let herself smile, not taking her eyes off Mordecai.

That was when she noticed his wing hanging limply on the side of his bed. At the sight of his wing, she lifted her hand off the blanket and reached forward. Her hand brushed against Mordecais wing and she smiled, waiting for the spark that would follow.

Nothing.

She let out a defeated sigh and lay her hand back on the blanket and rolled on her back, succumed to staring at the ceiling again. _I guess he just wants us to stay friends_


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"Morning CJ." Mordecai said when he caught sight of the cloud girl walking down the stairs. He stirred the cup of dark coffee that was sitting in front of him then tapped the rim and set the spoon down next to the cup. He picked it up then blew on it once before taking a sip and placing it back down, a warm smile on his face, his eyes half closed as the coffee slipped down his throat and settled in his stomach.

CJ yawned loudly as she continued her walk down the stairs. She seemed to grip the rail, as if it were the only thing keeping her on her own two feet. Unfortunately, Mordecai was unaware of her exhausted state and turned his body towards the tv, where a chat show was playing. He picked his coffee up again and took a long sip then left the cup in his hand as CJ ambled to the table and sat down across from him.

Neither blue jay or cloud girl said a word, Mordecai being too absorbed in the chat show that was currently airing. CJ didn't utter a sound and just sighed, placing her head in her hands. Her night had been an exhausting one. Since she had discovered of the spark lost between them, her mind became even more restless, mixing with the thoughts of the goat who she had worked with earlier that day.

CJ glanced at the clock hanging on the wall and let out a groan when she saw the time to be only 7:30am.

"Why do you wake up so early?" She asked with half open eyes, her voice strained from the exhaustion of getting only a few hours sleep. Her usual ponytail was messy, but was still pulled up, wisps of hair poking out in tangles. Black bags hung from below her eyes and she let out another yawn.

Mordecai shrugged, not tearing his eyes from the tv. "I guess it's habit. Me and Rigby have worked at the park for a few years and every morning, Benson wakes us up at, like, 6 or 7 so...yeah..." He shrugged. "Habit." He took a long sip of his coffee then stood and walked over to the sink. He turned on the tap until the water turned warm then rinsed the cup out. After placing it on the bench along with the rest of the dishes that needed to be dried and put away, he turned and his eyes widened when he saw CJs state.

"Woah." He said as he walked towards the table. Not moving his eyes from CJ, he pulled a chair out and sat next to the cloud girl. "What happened to you?"

CJ exhaled through her nose, a long deep breath, then rested her chin on her hand, her elbow propping her up. "Ask my thoughts." She answered bitterly.

"What?" He said, confused. The music from the end credits of the chat show were playing and now that the show had finished, Mordecai's attention was focused soley on CJ.

CJ dropped her hand limply on the table, so it landed on the wood with a thud. She turned her head to Mordecai, who was looking at her, waiting for an answer. "I was up all night thinking-" She stopped, the scene when she had touched Mordecai's hand, just to feel the familiar spark and the emotion she had felt when nothing had sparked, arised from the back of her mind. Did she want to tell him?

"Thinking?" Mordecai pressed. "Thinking about what?"

CJ closed her eyes and tugged her ponytail. When she opened them, Mordecai was watching her. She bit her lip as she twisted her hair with her left hand.

"About...staying here." She paused to see if Mordecai believed her. And when she saw him still looking at her, listening, she continued, her words slipping off her tongue. "You know, after being away from my house for a long time then coming to stay here...it's a big change for me." She felt relieved at the sudden lie she had thought up and the fact that Mordecai had bought it surprised her even more.

Mordecai nodded. "I understand. It took me and Rigby a while to fit in here but after fighting monsters, almost being blown up countless times and saving a lot of people, we..." His voice trailed off when he saw CJs horror stricken face, so he quickly finished with a smile and "We managed to fit in. Truthfully, these guys are like family."

CJ smiled at him understandingly then turned her head when she heard footsteps.

"Mordecai, Rigby, I need you two to-" Benson said as he rounded the corner but stopped when he saw Mordecai and CJ sitting at the table. He blinked.

"Where's Rigby?" He asked Mordecai, noticing a chair empty.

"He's still asleep." Mordecai answered.

Benson frowned and turned towards the stairs. He walked up without a word. Mordecai and CJ sat in silence and almost jumped when they heard a door slam. When CJ heard Benson yelling at Rigby, she looked at Mordecai with a smirk.

"Family huh?" She raised an eyebrow.

Mordecai smiled meekly back. "A dysfunctional, unorthodox family at that."

CJ laughed and opened her mouth to answer, but was interrupted with a loud yell then another slam of a door then finally, footsteps. CJ sighed as she turned her head towards the stairs.

Benson came down the stairs and stood at the kitchen wall, his arms crossed. He was looking at Mordecai and CJ but when Rigby soon stumbled down the steps, drool hanging from his lip, Bensons eyes shifted to him.

"How good to see you Rigby. Have a nice sleep?" Benson asked sarcastically.

Rigby looked up at his boss with a glare, his hand still holding the rail. He sighed and let go of the rail then walked to the table, where he collapsed in a chair next to CJ.

Rigby closed his eyes but as soon as he had, they sprung open when he heard a clap. His eyes drifted to Benson, who was smiling smugly, his hands pressed together. A frown curled on Rigby's lips and he sighed as he closed his eyes again.

"Alright, now that you're all up." Benson clapped once, making Rigby's eyes open again. Rigby groaned then sat up in his chair, looking at Benson with glazed eyes. "I want all of to have breakfast then meet me outside on the steps in an hour." He turned and walked towards the door. As soon as he had, Rigby's eyes slowly closed then snapped open when the front door slammed shut.

Rigby groaned again.

Mordecai rolled his eyes as Rigby closed his eyes again and when he heard snores, he got up and walk towards a cabinet. "So what do you want for breakfast CJ?"

CJ looked up at him. She glanced at Rigby, who was fast asleep and she let out a chuckle before answering. "What is there?" She asked.

He paused to look through the cupboards. With a defeated sigh, he turned to look at her. "Boring stuff. How about some waffles?"

"Waffles sound good." CJ replied.

Mordecai smiled and got to work.

* * *

**15 minutes later**

Mordecai placed a stack of waffles on a blue plate on the table. When the smell of the golden waffles hit Rigby, his eyes opened and he reached for two, which he stuffed in his mouth.

"Rigby." Mordecai muttered, narrowing his eyes at the raccoon.

Rigby stopped chewing to look at the blue jay. "What?"

Mordecai glanced at CJ, who was staring at Rigby in disgust. Rigby stuck out his tongue, the chewed up waffle rolling off and landing on his plate in yellow clumps.

"Ew." CJ said. "Seriously Rigby?"

Mordecai facepalmed.

"What?" Rigby said, glancing from Mordecai to CJ. "It's on the plate, isn't it?"

Mordecai looked up, disgusted at what Rigby had just done. "Yeah, but you-" He started, then shook his head, his hand on his head. "Nevermind."

Rigby waited a moment, then shrugged and picked up the chewed up waffle. He put them back in his mouth with a satisfied smile. CJ made a gagging noise.

"What time is it?" She asked Mordecai, turning her head from Rigby to Mordecai, still cringing at what Rigby had done.

Mordecai glanced up at the clock, happy for the distraction away from Rigbys act. "7:50."

CJ sighed and stood up. "I'm gonna go take a shower."

Mordecai watched her go up the stairs then, when he heard the bathroom door shut, he walked to the table and sat in the same chair CJ had sat in. He buried his head in his hands.

"Why are you so embarrasing?" He muttered to Rigby. Rigby just shrugged in reply and shoveled more waffles in his mouth.

* * *

The park workers were all gathered on the steps, Benson standing in front of them with his clipboard. Rigby was leaning against Mordecai, still half asleep, even though he had eaten about five waffles and had drunk two cups of coffee that Mordecai had made when he saw Rigby had gone back to sleep.

CJ had woken up a little thanks to the shower, but was still incredibly tired inside. She yawned loudly, covering her mouth to hide it.

"Alright." Benson started, flipping a few pages on his clipboard. "Because Mr Maellards birthday is tomorrow, I'm going to have you organize the party today. For what you got, I need you to sort it out. Are we clear?"

The park workers nodded, all except Mordecai, who looked dumbfounded. He put his hand up. Benson noticed. Instead of answering, he looked back down at his clipboard.

"Mordecai and Rigby...Mordecai and Rigby..." He murmured, then looked up at the blue jay, who put his hand down when he saw Benson looking at him.

"Since you two failed to get Mr Maellard a present, you guys can clean the fountain, wash the park truck, fix the carts and rake the leaves. IN THAT ORDER!"

Bensons outburst startled Rigby, who jumped and almost fell off the stairs. Mordecai grabbed his arm before he could and he pulled him back so he was sitting properly next to Mordecai.

"Wha-"

"Got it you two?" Benson asked sharply, his clipboard tucked under his arm.

"Yeah, we've totally got it Benson." Mordecai said calmly. Rigby glanced at Mordecai, confused, till Benson clapped his hands.

"Ok guys, get to work on your job."

Everyone parted their ways to do their jobs (except for Muscle Man and HFG who went up the stairs and in the house), leaving, again, Mordecai, Rigby, CJ and Thomas on the steps. Soon, Muscle Man came down the steps, carrying a large box of soda. HFG floated beside him, his arms filled with an armful of soda cans that couldn't fit in the box. When they were out of sight, Rigby turned his body sideways.

"Seriously?" Rigby asked Benson, who was walking up the steps towards the door. He stopped when he heard Rigby and turned his head, looking at him. "Do we have to do all those chores?"

"If you don't shut it, I'll get you to work by yourself and give you more work. There's plenty more jobs left on this list, jobs I have to do. So if I were you, I would keep quiet." Benson snapped.

Rigby glared at his boss, his narrowed eyes following Benson to the door and when it shut behind him, Rigby looked back at Mordecai, his expression relaxed, but a frown on his lips.

"Did you see that? I'm surprised Benson hasn't fired me yet."

Mordecai rolled his eyes. "Come on Rigby." He said, pushing himself off the step. "Let's go get the rags and buckets from the shed."

Rigby stayed where he was then sighed and got off the steps. He got on all fours and bounded after Mordecai, who was already ahead by a few steps.

When the duo were out of sight, Thomas moved backwards till he was sitting next to CJ on the top step.

"So..."

"So..."

Thomas coughed. "We have to get the cake..."

"Yip..."

The two sat in awkward silence. Thomas rubbed the back of his neck and coughed again.

CJ turned sharply. "WOULD YOU STOP COUGHING!" She snapped.

Thomas' eyes widened and he held up his hands defensively, his heart thumping. "Woah. Sorry for coughing then."

CJ sighed and tucked her knees up to her chin. She rested her head on her knees and stared out at the sky.

"Sorry Thomas. I'm just a bit tired, that's all."

Thomas fell silent as he dropped his hands by his side. "Oh...Wanna tell me what kept you up?"

CJ shrugged lazily, not really concentrating on what Thomas had just said. But when his words sunk in, she bit her lip, unsure if she should tell him or not. She hadn't told Mordecai and she doubted she ever would, but what about Thomas? Would he say anything to Mordecai? Even though CJ had only met him just a few days ago and had gotten a limited time to get to know him, she felt she could trust him. So she closed her eyes and didn't turn her head as she spoke.

"Remember what I told you in the coffee shop? About that thing between me and Mordecai?"

"Yeah." She heard Thomas answer.

"Yeah, well...last night, I touched Mordecai's hand...but there was no spark..." She felt a giant hole in her chest now that she had admitted it to someone and as she slowly opened her eyes, she felt tears prick her eyes. She didn't mention about touching his hand on purpose or being unable to sleep because she was unintentionally thinking about Thomas, so she stayed silent and waited for Thomas' reply.

"Oh...I'm so sorry CJ."

CJ felt close to tearing up when she heard Thomas' sympathetic tone so she stood sharply to stop the tears. "Don't be. I knew it wouldn't work out anyway. He still likes Margaret, that's for sure."

"Uh huh." Thomas murmured. He stood up and turned towards the door. "Come on. We've gotta go get the cake and I think we have to take it to the ballroom."

CJ followed him and waited to fall in step beside him before replying. "How do you know to take it to the ballroom?"

"Oh, we had to do the same thing at HFGs birthday last year. Everyone basically got the same jobs, but Mordecai and Rigby had to get HFG a present instead of Mr Maellard."

"Ok." CJ smiled as Thomas opened the door. She stepped in the house and walked to the kitchen, Thomas following.

"Don't drop the cake this time." Thomas warned jokingly.

CJ rolled her eyes, smirking. "Don't worry, I won't. If I do, you could catch it again." She opened the fridge and took the cake out. The fridge door shut behind her when she turned. Thomas walked beside her as they both went to the door. He opened the door and CJ stepped out. When Thomas shut the door, they walked down the steps and to the ballroom.

* * *

"Man, that was hilarious!" CJ exclaimed as she laughed again. The two had bought the cake to the ballroom and were walking back to the park.

"I know." Thomas answered, walking beside her. "I feel bad for Muscle Man though. Now he needs to get more soda."

"And he's gonna have to clean the ballroom." CJ added.

"Wonder if he'll have to get Mr Maellard a present too, just as another punishment for basically wrecking the ballroom."

CJ shrugged. "Probably. I doubt Benson will just let him get off that easily."

Thomas laughed and the rest of the walk back to the park was in silence, until CJ spotted Mordecai and Rigby fixing a cart up ahead. She turned to Thomas.

"Do you know where we go now?"

"I think we go back to the house, just like yesterday."

"Ok." CJ gave a little wave to Mordecai as she walked past to the house. Thomas followed her up the steps.

"Good, you got the cake." Benson said when they entered the house. A dripping-with-soda Muscle Man and HFG were next to Benson, guilty expressions plastered on their faces. "Now I need you to clean out the gutters. Ladder's in the shed." He said, looking at Muscle Man and HFG out of the corner of his eye. CJ and Thomas exchanged glances then turned and walked out the house. When they got to the bottom step, they heard a loud shout from Muscle Man then protests from HFG. Smiling, they walked the rest of the way to the shed, then when they got there, they burst out laughing.

* * *

CJ screwed up her face as she pulled a clump of leaves from the gutter and dumped them in the bucket next to her. Thomas was holding the hose and watering the gunk that had gathered on the roof tiles. He smiled down at CJ, who was wringing her hands of the bits of leaves that were sticking to the yellow gloves she had found in the shed, along with the ladder that was below them.

"Having fun?" He asked her with a smirk.

"Oh haha." She replied sarcastically. "No I'm not having fun, to answer your question."

Thomas laughed. "Well, I am."

CJ looked up and put her hands on her hips. "Well of course you're having fun. You got the hose, thanks to your good reflexes."

Thomas laughed again then paused to bend down to CJ. "You got some leaves in your hair." He slowly brushed away the bits of leaf so they scattered around her. She felt herself blush as Thomas took his hand away and when their eyes locked, CJ saw a hint of red arise on Thomas' cheeks. She shook her head and grabbed another clump of leaves. She turned to put them in the bucket, and her eyes drifted to Thomas when she saw it was gone from its spot.

"Lose something?" Thomas asked, smirking. He was standing in front of her and when he saw CJ looking at him, he slowly bought the bucket out from behind his back and CJ grinned evilly. She reached out but Thomas pulled it back at the last second. She made a move to stand and Thomas dropped the hose when he saw her shift. He turned to run and CJ reached out to grab his arm, but missed. So she stood up and stepped forward, Thomas running to the chimney. As soon as she had, her foot slipped and she felt her heart miss a beat as she fell backwards. She desperately ran up the roof, but her feet slipped on the water coming from the house. Thomas slowly stood up, looking at the cloud girl, his hands on the chimney.

"CJ?" He asked. She glanced up at him, and Thomas watched in horror as her gaze left his as she fell. She reached out her hand at the last second and her hand caught the gutter.

"CJ!" Thomas yelled. He stood and raced to the edge of the roof where CJ was clinging onto the edge of the gutter. She looked up at Thomas and smiled weakly.

"Thomas." She said. "Can you get the ladder?"

Thomas glanced to where the ladder was and saw it lying sideways on the grass. He felt sick rise in his throat.

CJ saw the color drain from his face and she followed his gaze. Turning her head, she saw what Thomas was looking at, and she felt her stomach drop. She looked back at Thomas.

Thomas swallowed thickly and he reached out his hand. "Take my hand." He said, his voice shaking. He leaned forward, holding the house that had caused the predicament in the first place. Even though it was still running with water, and the water was sliding down Thomas' arm, he didn't let go and grabbed onto a dry part of the hose to get a better grip, not keeping his eyes off CJ.

CJ bit her lip and glanced down. It was a long drop and she knew that if she let go of the gutter, she would fall to the ground and die. She shook her head to rid the thought and looked back up at Thomas, who was smiling gently, though his face was pale and his arms were shaking.

CJ lifted her arm to take Thomas' hand, her heart slamming against her chest. The piece of steel she was holding moved and a bolt came off. CJ let out a shriek when she felt her fingers slip off the gutter edge.

Mordecai wiped the sweat off his brow and stood with his hands on his hips. "Done." He said proudly. He almost jumped when he heard a loud scream pierce his ears. _CJ_ He dropped his rake and raced towards the park house. Rigby waved a hand, half asleep, his eyes closed.

"Mordecai?" He asked. "Did you finish raking the leaves yet?" He waited for a few moments for a reply and when he got none, he opened his eyes then sat up when he saw Mordecais rake lying on the ground. He saw Mordecai up ahead, running to the house, and he got on all fours and chased after him. "Mordecai, wait!"

"Come on CJ. Just reach up and grab my hand." Thomas told her in a calm tone. CJs eyes were shut as she slowly lifted her arm up again towards Thomas. Her eyes were shut and she didn't dare open them. Thomas didn't say a word and just stayed on his knees, his left hand gripping the hose and his right hand stretching to CJs. He held on tightly to her hand and pulled her up. CJ smiled when she felt herself being lifted upwards, but she kept her eyes closed. Thomas pressed his lips together as he got on his feet and backed up, pulling CJ back. Soon, she let go of the gutter when she felt the tiles of the roof on her knees. Thomas collapsed on the roof, exhausted, breathing heavily. He sat up after his breathing went back to normal then shuffled on his knees to CJ, who was sitting on her legs, her hand splayed out either side of her as she felt the water on the tiles.

"You ok?"

CJ opened her eyes to see Thomas sitting in front of her, him in the same position as her. He smiled at her, his fur and clothes spotted with water. She laughed.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She glanced down at the hose, still running with water, then back up at Thomas. "Thanks for...you know...saving me."

Thomas blushed a little. "Oh...haha...uh...you're welcome I guess."

She laughed again at how nervous he was then as her eyes drifted down, her breathing caught in her chest.

"What?" Thomas asked. His eyebrow furrowed and when CJ didn't reply or look at him, he followed her gaze and the blush in his cheeks intensified.

He was still holding her hand.

Thomas immediately snatched his hand away then waited for a few seconds before looking up at CJ. Regret churned in his stomach. Why had he been so quick to pull his hand back?

CJ had her head dipped low so she was looking at the tiles on the roof. Water dripped off her tangled ponytail and onto her knees, but she didn't move to flick her hair back.

Thomas watched her, waiting for her to look up at him. Just moments before, they had been laughing and now...this silence was... He couldn't find a word for it.

"CJ!" Mordecai called. "Are you alright? We heard you yell." Rigby ran up and stood beside Mordecai, looking up at the roof.

Thomas watched CJ turn around to look at him, ignoring Thomas completely.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"You sure?" Mordecai asked. He saw the ladder and went over to it. He picked it up then propped it up against the roof. CJ climbed down and Thomas, filled with guilt, climbed down after her. CJ jumped off the last rung to look at Mordecai properly.

"I mean, apart from the leaves sticking to my clothes and the water messing up my hair, I fine." She replied with a smile.

Mordecai smiled briefly when he noticed Thomas behind her. When he saw his saturated clothes, he chuckled. "Did you guys get in a water fight or something?"

Thomas eyes flickered to CJ, who didn't turn to look at him. He felt the blush appear on his cheeks. "No."

Mordecai frowned, confused. "Then why are your clothes saturated and why's your hair messed up?" He asked, referring to CJ in the last sentence.

CJ exhaled through her lips, blowing her hair out of her face. She didn't reply.

Mordecai raised an eyebrow but didn't say a word. Thomas opened his mouth to say something but as soon as he had, CJ turned to the stairs, ran up them, opened the door then shut it with a loud slam.

Mordecai, Thomas and Rigby watched the door then turned their heads to look at each other.

"What was that about?" Rigby asked.

Thomas shook his head, confused. Mordecai glanced from the door then back to Thomas again. His eyes narrowed at the goat and he frowned, thinking CJ was upset because of him.

"CJ, wait!" He turned and ran into the house, leaving Rigby and Thomas outside.

"Wanna go to the coffee shop?" Rigby asked him after a few minutes of silence.

Thomas glanced at the door then back at Rigby. He nodded, Rigby smiled and the two turned around and walked to the coffee shop.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

"CJ?" Mordecai called. He walked through the front door and held onto the handle as he stood still and looked around. "Where are you? I wanna talk to you." Mordecai paused as he waited for an answer. When he got none, he shut the door behind him, then waited for the slam of the door before taking a few steps forward. Benson walked through the kitchen and when he saw Mordecai, he stopped.

"Benson?" Mordecai asked, worried, as he walked towards him. "Have you seen CJ?"

"Yeah, I saw her run upstairs and I think she went in yours and Rigby's room. Why-"

"Thanks Benson." Mordecai ran past Benson and up the stairs. Benson raised an eyebrow at the sudden interruption then turned and went out the door, choosing to ignore it.

Mordecai stopped outside the door, breathless. He waited till his heart had slowed back to its normal rate before pressing his ear up against the door. Holding his breath, he pursed his lips, listening for any sounds of crying. Benson hadn't mentioned seeing tears when she ran past, but from her running in the house without an explanation of why, Mordecai thought she was crying about something, except he didn't know what. Mordecai let out a long breath as he pushed himself off the wood and stood at it. He reached out a hand to the doorknob and turned it. Pushing the door so it was enough room for him to fit through, he stepped forward and peeked his head around the door.

"CJ?" He asked quietly incase she was asleep. She was lying sideways so she was looking at Mordecais bed. Tear stains tracked down her cheeks and her lips were pulled in a tight line. Her boots were sitting by her mattress, side by side.

Mordecai sighed and walked the rest of the way in the room. He shut the door behind him, not turning his head so he was looking at CJ the entire time. CJ didn't look his way when she heard the door shut, nor did she turn on her back to see him when she could see, out of the corner of his eye, Mordecai walking slowly to her bed and sit on his, close to her. Neither of them said a word for the next few minutes, and CJ just stayed watching him. He had his head low, thinking, the palms of both of his hands pressed flat against the mattress. He sighed again and when he finally looked up and saw CJ sniff in that quick glance before she moved her eyes so she was staring at the ceiling, he shifted on the mattress, suddenly uncomfortable, but he took a deep breath then spoke.

"CJ-" He started

"Don't waste your breath." She said bitterly. "I know you want me to explain why I just ran away from you guys without an explanation, but I won't." She turned on her other side so she was looking at Rigby's trampoline. "Get out of the room Mordecai."

Mordecai watched her, but didn't stand or move. A few moments passed and when CJ hadn't heard footsteps or the door shut, she turned her head to him.

"Didn't you hear me? Get out!" Her glare burned right through him and even though he thought that if he didn't leave, she would turn into a cloud and create a hurricane again. But she didn't. He heard her sigh and her head turned back so she was staring at the trampoline again.

"Why did you just run off like that?" He knew he was pushing it a bit, especially with the tone he was speaking to her in, but he didn't care for a second. He needed her to answer. "Did Thomas push you off the roof."

"No!" CJ turned sharply. She sat up, watching Mordecai as she tucked her knees up to her chest. The realization of what she had done hit her and she rested her head on her knees so she was facing Mordecai, going quiet again. "It wasn't that." She said softly.

"Then what was it?" Mordecai asked quietly, looking at CJ.

They both sat in silence for a long time till CJ let out a breath, her hair flying upward for a second before resting against her forehead again.

"Last night...I couldn't sleep and I...turned to look at you..." She lifted her gaze up, their eyes locked as she continued. "I saw your hand hanging from the side of the bed and...I reached out ...but I felt nothing when our hands touched."

Mordecai felt himself redden. He quickly looked away. "CJ, I'm sorry...I just...don't feel that way about you and...I don't think I ever will..." He slowly looked up, to see CJ looking back, her expression the same.

She closed her eyes. "And before when Thomas was pulling me back up on the roof...I...felt...the spark." She broke down in tears at the last two words, her hair hanging in front of her face as she turned her head and lifted her hands to press against her face. Tears fell from the cracks in her fingers and she didn't look at Mordecai for some time.

Mordecai sat in silence, taking in what she had said. Feeling a connection between someone didn't sound like something bad, he thought, to him it meant something good, it meant you found your soul mate... His eyes widened when her words sunk in.

"CJ-" He started.

Her tears answered his unfinished sentence. He watched her, heartbroken, then stood and walked to the door. CJ looked up when she heard the door shut then sighed as she rested her head against her knees again, so she was looking at Mordecais bed.

Mordecai stayed standing outside the door, his heart thumping. Benson walked through the park door then when he saw Mordecai, he stopped again, his clipboard and pencil frozen in his hands. "Mordecai?"

Mordecai walked reluctantly down the stairs, his heart heavy.

"What-"

He pushed past his boss, his hands balled into fists. Benson turned, just to see the door shut.

"Mordecai!" Rigby ran up to the blue jay. "What's up with CJ?"

Mordecai walked down the stairs then sat down at the fourth one and buried his head in his hands. Rigby's sat next to him. "That bad huh?" He asked.

"Where's Thomas?"

Rigby's eyebrow furrowed. "He's still at the coffee shop. Why-"

"CJ likes Thomas." He said, lifting his head and resting it against the palm of his hand, his elbow propping it up on his knee.

Rigby's eye widened. "What?"

Mordecai traced patterns in the wood with the hand by his side.

"But...doesn't she like you?"

"She did like me...now she likes Thomas."

"How..." Rigby exhaled through his mouth, his lips pursed as he tried to process the information. "How the heck did you get her to say that?"

Mordecai closed his eyes then opened them after a moment. "She thought me and her still had a connection but it turns out, we don't and I don't think we ever will. But when Thomas pulled her up to the roof, she felt the spark."

Rigby was silent.

"I think she still likes me. That's why she was crying."

"Woah. CJ was crying?"

Mordecai nodded.

Rigby shook his head. "So...what are you gonna do?"

"What'd you mean?" Mordecai asked, turning his head to look at him, his eyebrow furrowed.

"Are you gonna say something to Thomas or..."

Mordecai frowned. "Why would I do that?"

"Cause she likes him."

"Dude, she still likes me!" Mordecai said in exasperation. "What part of this don't you understand? CJ said she felt a spark between her and Thomas but she still likes me. That's why she was crying. Because she doesn't like Thomas. And now that she felt a spark with Thomas, it means they're meant to be soulmates or something." He placed his head in his hands with a sigh.

Rigby was silent for a long time. Mordecai lifted his head, thinking he had fallen asleep with his own explanation, but when he saw Rigbys' hand move, he left his head on its side to rest on his knee, so he was looking at Rigby.

"Do you like CJ?"

"What?"

Rigby moved his hands. "Do you like CJ?"

"Dude." Mordecai said, raising his head. "You know I still like Margaret right?"

"Really? I though you'd have lost that crush ages ago."

Mordecai sighed in exasperation. "No dude, I stil like Margaret." He mumbled.

Mordecai felt someone standing behind him and he only had time to turn his head for a glance behind his back to see someone hurtle down the stairs in a flash. Mordecai turned his head sharply forward. Tear drops were leading a trail through the grass, a long way through the park so the pools of water were just specks in the distance.

"What the heck was that?"

Mordecai looked at Rigby, who was staring at the place the figure had just been. His face twisted in confusion, Mordecai bought his gaze slowly to the front again and shook his head.

"I have no idea."


End file.
